Southern Graces
By Patricia Detwiler
The Black Dolphin Inn
The Black Dolphin Inn
Places With
When I was growing up in Washington, DC, my father was Chief Photographer of Allegheny Airlines, so my family was fortunate to travel all the time. Needless to say, I have traveled many places and have enjoyed exploring what the world has to offer. That was an amazing time and prepared me for owing my own Bed and Breakfast for the past 14 years. Currently I specialize in Bed and Breakfast Consulting and represent the Bed and Breakfast Inns in Florida as Managing Director. This career is a lot of hard work and innkeepers invest many, many hours behind the scenes to ensure guests a memorable stay.
When thinking of some awesome places I have come across in my travels, as there are a lot of nice destinations in the south, I wanted to share two .
Black Dolphin & John Denham House
If you love the beach, the water, the heat, the sand, the beach bars, the seafood and stellar hospitality you’ll want to visit the Black Dolphin Inn. I recently stayed at the Black Dolphin Inn in New Smryna Beach, Florida. What a fabulous Inn and perfect location on Riverside Drive overlooking the Indian River waterway. Every
aspect of the Black Dolphin Inn speaks luxury and southern grace. This newly renovated Inn is eye catching in its Spanish-Colonial style architecture with fresh and tastefully designed modern and contemporary interior, speaking
elegance in every way. Brett and Shelia, along with their son, Taylor are gracious hosts who insure you a delightful stay. You can tell the entire family has a solid background in hospitality and they run the inn with passion and warmth exceeding the expectations of their guests. Third generation hoteliers and identical twin Brothers Brett & Scott Smith, fell in love with this former riverfront estate. Overlooking the Indian River on Florida's east central Atlantic coast, Black Dolphin gets its name from the dolphins that playfully swim by its dock. The 14 guest rooms are skillfully appointed with amazing vintage finds, fine art, eclectic accents, and modern amenities. Gorgeous views, many with French doors opening to a
private balcony that seem like tree houses peeking through gnarled oaks to the Indian River. The Black Dolphin Inn was recently selected as one of the “Top Ten B & B’s” awarded in 2013 by BedandBreakfast.com. The Black Dolphin Inn is not just a place to stay, it is a reason to go to New Smyrna Beach. The breakfast is
beautifully displayed with locally sourced sustainable foods, which is expanded to include additional dishes such as steel-mill grits and southern home-fried potatoes. In nearby New Smyrna, walking distance from the inn, funky seaside restaurants are abundant as well as beach-side galleries, surf shops, and sprawling beaches. Overnight docking is available at the Black Dolphin for guests with boats. Even without a boat, fishing opportunities are plentiful at nearby Canaveral National Seashore Park. While standing outside I was greeted by the bottle nose dolphins from the dock. The Black Dolphin provides a retreat for the mind, body, and soul.
The John Denham House in Monticello, Florida is True Southern Hospitality and Luxury. If you want to travel back in time and still benefit from the comfort of modern times you will love the John Denham House. Nestled in the beautiful surroundings of old trees, Spanish moss and well manicured bushes, the John Denham House looks like a movie set for "Gone With the Wind". This authentically restored 1872 National Historic Register house gives the guest a real step back in time. The paint colors have been recreated to duplicate the original. And yes most of the 140 year old door knobs are not perfect but do work. The rooms all have antiques dating back to that period. From the minute Pat Inman welcomes you to her beautiful home until you depart after yet another scrumptious "Old South" breakfast, you're going to be a glad you came. King beds with fine linens and all the amenities you could want. It is a great experience. You can spend a restful night in a comfortable bed in a spacious room with tall ceiling, fireplace and a private bathroom. In the morning Pat serves the most delicious breakfast featuring a mixed fruit salad with tupelo honey, farm-fresh eggs and nutty waffles or wonderful fresh strawberries and bananas with light whipped cream, scrambled eggs, smoked ham, stuffed french toast, to give you an idea You will wish you had an extra day or two to fully enjoy the calm and the beauty of the place. One of the bathrooms was created out of one of the original trunk rooms with the hat box area. It has the original hooks and shelf space which makes it very charming. The fixtures have been added to not take away from the original house. You will be greeted like an old friend. Pat can provide a bottle of champagne, a dozen roses and some Belgian chocolates, with lit candles in the fireplace to set yourself up for a romantic evening. You can even venture up into the cupola to see if you will experience any ghostly encounters – you may even feel a little chill.
Pattie Detwiler is the Managing Director of the Florida Bed and Breakfast Inns Association
Bio: With 14 years as an Innkeeper, and 30 years of construction and development experience, Pattie concentrates her expertise as past President and now currently Managing Director of the Florida Bed and Breakfast Inns Association, www.florida-inns.com; Bed and Breakfast Consultant working with aspiring innkeepers, whether creating or purchasing a new Bed and Breakfast www.bedandbreakfastconsultantservice.com and
Realtor, specializing in Florida Bed and Breakfast Inns. [email protected]
Inns E-Magazine | Fall 2013 | 10